Nakama
by Synvamp
Summary: Exciting, mad, funny, silly and sweet  & fluffy as candy floss laced with crack! The manic lives of the Straw Hat pirates are anything but dull XD Crew gen - a collection of short bits.
1. Chapter 1

-xxx-

"Luffy! Don't do that in here!" Usopp shouted, trying to huddle all his ingredients together to protect them from the wheeled menace. Luffy raced past for the upteenth time, swerving far too close for comfort. A fine power lifted off two of the sharpshooter's china dishes and mixed in the air.

Usopp wheezed and choked as a plume of thick black smoke erupted in his face with a muffled boom.

"Luffy.. *cough wheeze* you idiot.. do you want to blow my head off? I told you to go outside!" Usopp coughed.

"I didn't hear you," said Luffy dreamily as he sailed past again.

Whoever had decided that wheels on shoes were a good idea was going to be receiving a very stiffly worded letter of complaint!

After bringing up a few unpleasant tasting clots of soot, Usopp felt much better. But there was no convincing Chopper of that.

"I saw that Usopp! What kind of chemicals are you mixing? Just stay here and I'll get my stethoscope!"

Usopp tried to protest but the little reindeer scooted off as fast as his furry short legs would carry him, determined to rescue his patient whether he liked it, or not.

"I have a great idea for a practical joke long-nose, just wait until you see this one!" Franky whispered, totally oblivious to Usopp's previous plight (despite his face full of soot).

Chopper came back around the corner toting a large leather doctor's case and trailing the various parts of a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff.

"Usopp! I must listen to your breathing at once, take off your shirt!" Chopper barked in his trademark I-know-I'm-cute-and-cuddly-but-I'm-being-a-doctor-now-so-do-what-you-are-told voice.

Usopp did not do what he was told. Practically the whole crew was here! Plus Zoro was laughing at him. That was no fair! Just because HE was all muscly and perfect, there was no need to go making a big deal out of it. It was very important to Usopp's intelligence gathering to appear unassuming and he couldn't very well do that if his neck was as wide as the calm belt, now could he?

"Oh no!" Franky said, throwing his arms about. He managed to look as though he had gone completely mad, Chopped stopped.

"What is it Franky?" He asked sharply, his hoof hesitating over an assortment of painful looking instruments.

"Ummmm…" Frankie hesitated, but then bravely continued, "My heart, Chopper, my HEART!" He wailed, clutching his chest and flailing about on the floor.

Chopper whipped his stethoscope out and started climbing all over the engineer and prodding him with it.

"Franky!" he wailed, "You're having a heart attack! Your heartbeat is irregular! Franky! Can you hear me?" Chopper shouted frantically.

Franky was laughing so hard that he had started to wheeze, Usopp could see him gasping and choking for breath, tears rolling down his face.

"Franky!" Chopper cried, "I'll save you!" He brought both front hooves together in the air and his forearms swelled. As his fists came down, the combined weight dented Franky's chest plate and brought him very neatly out of his laughing fit.

"What the heck are you doing?" Franky shouted, lifting the tiny reindeer up in the air.

"Franky! You're alright!" Chopper wailed, tears of joy rolling down his face.

"Never felt better," the engineer muttered.

Nami chuckled, "That's what you get for being such an idiot," she said, rolling up the map that was spread before her on the table. She stood up and looked out the window, scanning the clouds, the waves, the moon… All was well in the unpredictable waters of the Grand Line, at least for now.

Robin observed Nami's movents and relaxed. It looked like they had a calm night to look forward to, all the better for learning more about her crazy crewmates. She loved the way they just fell in so easily together, it was as if it were meant to be…

"Why don't you go and try to find Sanji, Chopper?" the navigator directed, trying to prise the fuzzy reindeer off Fanky's face, "I'm hungry!"

Almost as if he heard her call, Sanji erupted into the room.

"Your shadow wore a tutu," Sanji stated indignantly at the doorway. Zoro came through, his eyes fixed on the cook and blazing.

"It did not wear a TUTU! How would you even know that? YOU tried to kiss me."

"I did not try to kiss you!" Sanji defended, stomping his foot in his trademark and-that's-final-Zoro way.

"Who here saw Sanji try and kiss me when he was asleep?"

*show of hands raised* Most.

"I did not! Nami, Robin, surely you… oh." Sanji mumbled, blushing into his chest as the girls both gave him knowing looks. He quickly got his wind back though, as only Mr. Prince can, "…anyway, YOU said you wished you had never been born and we.."

"Shut up!" Zoro stomped.

"..and wept and beat your hands on the ground. Anyone remember _that?_"

*show of hands raised* More.

"HEY! …Well you're afraid of bugs."

"I am not afraid of bugs! I'm just cautious, unlike some meat heads that I know that just leap.. GET IT OFF ME!"

In one huge spasm, Sanji cracked like a whip, throwing the offending beetle harmlessly off into Chopper's loving hoofs.

"Euuurrrggghhh!" Sanji howled, as he leapt out of the room in one impossibly long jump.

Zoro pointed at Sanji's retreating figure and nodded knowingly,

"Scared of bugs."

"That was cruel swordsman-san," Robin mused.

"Thankyou," Zoro replied.

Nami stared daggers at the swordsman as she climbed back down off the cupboard.

"What?" Zoro huffed.

"You're going to be in trouble…" Luffy sang out, swinging back and forth on his chair.

Zoro ignored him.

"You better say you're sorry…" the sing-song voice continued.

Zoro struck suddenly, knocking Luffy clear off his chair and onto the wooden floor. First there were protests but they were soon replaced with a rolling ball of fists that took out pretty much everything.

"Tsk, tsk," Nami grinned from the doorway.

"GUYS I TOLD YOU!" Usopp shouted, before being engulfed in a ball of flame.

"OWWWW! OW! OW! LUFFY I'M GOING TO KILL YOU OW OW OWWWW!

It would be another peaceful night, Robin mused.

Another night to learn about these wonderful, strange people. Another perfect time to discover the meaning of the word 'nakama'.

Every night was a gift.

They would make the most of it.

-xxx-


	2. Chapter 2

_-xxx-_

_Meat meat meat…_

_Sanji said no meat until supper. Supper was AGES away. Hours, probably._

_Hmmm…_

The drinks in Sanji's loving hands went flying, for some reason that he couldn't put his finger on, his feet had gone out from under him. He scrambled in midair, trying desperately to convince the liquid to get back into the glasses, but it was too late. A perfect purple arc of liquid drenched Nami from her tummy all the way to the top of her head.

"SANJI!"

Usopp jumped a mile, the scream piercing him like an arrow. Nami's shrill voice made his skin crawl at the best of times - this was not the best of times. In fact, he was pouring a very volatile combination of chemicals for a new weapon. Before he could stop them, his hands gave a violent twitch and black powder went everywhere.

_Oh. _

_No…_

A big flash of light struck the bow of the ship and suddenly Usopp didn't have any eyebrows.

_Great. _

"What the hell?" Zoro growled.

He had managed to jump to his feet and draw all three swords in about two seconds from a horizontal position (and snoring).

Not quite good enough…

The swordsman turned abruptly, trying to source the explosion. He saw Usopp covered in soot just before he saw poor Chopper, who had snuck behind him when the blast hit.

Zoro knocked the tiny reindeer flying and he went bowling into Robin's deck chair in the form of a giant brown fur-bull. An arc of arms lifted Robin out of harm's way and she alighted next to Nami, who was angrily trying to get the purple stain out of her dress while Sanji cried guilty hearts onto the deck.

_Marbles are fun!_

_Meat meat meat…_

_Is it dinnertime yet?_

_-xxx-_


	3. Chapter 3

_-xxx-_

"I'm hot," Luffy told his sandals, his words disappearing with a puff of steam into the rippling heat haze.

"I'm hungry!" he declared, sitting firmly in a sand dune.

Sanji walked past the protesting Captain and bumped him affectionately, "It's not much further."

Luffy studied Sanji: he was wearing a pastel blue shirt and smoking, the slight breeze ruffling his hair. He looked like he belonged in an air conditioning advertisement.

"I'm tired now!"

"Well, you have to suck it up," Sanji said firmly.

"Zoo-rooo!" Luffy called plaintively, seeking a second opinion. The wide-eyed boy looked around, blinking in the glare, "Where's Zoro?"

"Great. That's just what we need - the human compass…" Sanji grumbled.

"ZORO! ZOOOOROOOO!"

"Over here!"

Luffy followed the voice and saw water – clear, green and inviting. He ran madly toward it, sinking knee deep into sand. He threw off his vest, then his shirt, pants and underwear. By the time he leapt into the air, his bare bum was gleaming in the sunlight.

Zoro chuckled as Luffy surfaced, spluttering. He should be fine in only a few feet of water but the swordsman wasn't taking any chances. He stripped off quickly and dove in, loving the feeling of cool water beading on his hot skin.

Sanji crested the hill last,

"What the hell are you doing?" the dazed cook spluttered.

"I'm swimming!" shouted Luffy, paddling in three inches of water.

"Just watching ero-cook, or you coming in?" Zoro drawled, still offensively confident in the buff.

"I.. well.."

It _was_ very hot…

"If either of you tells the girls, I'll make you into a sauce," Sanji hissed as he stripped off, "a really shitty one!"

"Nothing to tell them about," Zoro deadpanned back.

"Asshole!"

Embarrassment forgotten, Sanji charged into the water to ensure Zoro had the best angle on his incredible assets.

_Nothing?_

_My ass! _

_-xxx-_


	4. Chapter 4

_-xxx-_

Sanji listened to the sound of the rain drumming on the windows. Zoro had gone out what seemed like hours ago, idiot Marimo had probably drowned. Maybe he should go and look just to be sure…

The latch on the door lifted with a clunk and Zoro ducked in as quickly as he could, slamming the door shut against the fierce storm. He was drenched from head to toe, the water running off his hair and down his forehead and down his chest, forming a puddle at his feet.

"How long does it take to tie down a sail?" Sanji demanded. Making him worry like that!

"It was stuck," Zoro grumbled, sitting down by the meagre oil lamp.

"You look like you have a chill, swordsman-san," Robin observed.

Zoro shook visibly and denied it outright,

"I'm fine," he chattered.

"You're blue!" Sanji shouted. *cough idiot cough*

"What?" Zoro leapt to his feet and leaned toward Sanji menacingly, "The baka-cook who couldn't even secure the sail properly thinks that I'm an idiot?"

"You shitty..!" Sanji leapt and caught the swordsman off guard. After a couple of wary blows, they were off, becoming a spinning mass of angry legs and steel.

"Guys… stop it. I said stop it!" Nami bellowed to no effect.

"At least Zoro's colour is returning to normal," Robin mused calmly, "it would have been a shame if he'd died of frostbite or hypothermia or frozen solid..."

"Yes, a terrible shame," Nami muttered, as she dodged the ball of chaos for the second time, "Oh, _what_ a shame."

_-xxx-_


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Born Again  
>Rating: G<br>Media: fic  
>Characters: Robin<br>Word Count: 206  
>Prompt: renewal<p>

xxx

Darkness.

Warm and comforting. Alone in the fog there was no pain.

She lived in the darkness. Some tiny instinct of self-preservation had shut her down. Her lips moved in speech, her face changed with the scene but she was not really there.

Then one day, he came. And someone was here – with her. Calling her name. And he lifted her out of the darkness.

Robin felt giddy, light headed.

Dazed and blinded.

She would have said 'born again' but in the darkness, she had never truly lived.

It was like her first breath.

It was like a new dawn.

For a day, for a minute, for a single second – she could forget.

The darkness. The past. The long nights.

And wake from the dream. And see the dawn.

She would be the person she always was.

The person that she could never see.

The girl that stepped out of the darkness.

She knew that they would probably all die. Soon. Horribly.

But now she understood why it was worth it.

Looking into Luffy's eyes. The confidence. The faith.

She would trade all her years in the darkness for one dazzling ray of light.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Cruel to be kind  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG for sailor mouth  
><strong>Media:<strong> fic  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Zoro, the strawhats  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 247  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own One Piece or any of the characters from it

**Prompt:** 'loss'

**Spoilers:** for Water 7 arc

xxx

Zoro stared blankly at the spot where Usopp would have sat. He knew where the marksman would have picked. He knew _him_. The rest of the crew stared at him like he had lost his mind, his words hung in the air.

Lost was fine.

Loss was not.

He was lost. Fine. He was used to it. Could get lost on the way to his own dick - as Sanji had so nicely put it - but he hated to fail. Hated to lose.

Hated loss the most.

After Kunia, there was always that heavy feeling that pressed down on his chest. It was like gravity, an empty blackness that forced the air from his lungs and made his heart ache like an old wound. No more loss after that. Never again. He would fight and fight and fight and always win.

He would never give in. He would never say die. He would never leave a friend behind, or give up on his nakama.

They probably wouldn't understand what he was doing, but he knew it was the only way. The steel forged in the hottest fire struck most true. It didn't matter if they understood. He knew Usopp's mettle better than the marksman knew himself. A brave man isn't brave because he has no fear.

He knew that now.

To watch your nakama risk their lives every fucking day…

They would go through this together or not at all, and only death would stop them.

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Whim

Word count: 300

Media: fic

Characters: Nami, Sanji

Prompt: 'dancing'

xxx

The moonlight painted a thousand crests silver, and the ship rose and fell to the rhythm of the waves.

She could smell tobacco on the breeze that played with her red hair.

"What is it?" She heard him ask, the smell of rich spices mixed with smoke and salt.

A thin smile graced her lips; it was silly.

"Nothing."

"I'm not stupid you know."

"Yes you are, baka"

His soft baritone laugh.

"What were you thinking about, just now?" His eyes honest and piercing blue.

"I just…" she sighed. No point lying to him, he always knew…

"I never danced."

She thought he would laugh… or maybe foam at the mouth.

"I can dance."

The words were spoken with quiet confidence. Optimism.

It was such a stupid thing. After all that had happened. All the years, all the sacrifices, and all the suffering… If she started crying, she would never stop. So she was numb.

But sometimes, a memory of a childhood dream would haunt her. On nights like this, it was the little things that hurt the most.

"Would you teach me?" She whispered.

With a flourish, the cigarette was gone and the cook was kneeling before her, one hand outstretched,

"You would do me the honour?" One long-lashed eye invited her to put her hand in his.

He held her gaze and stood slowly, guiding her arms around his slender waist. He interlaced his long fingers with hers,

"Is this alright?"

"Yes."

When she was a tiny girl crying at night, she used to imagine that a shining prince would come. He would take her out to sea where she could draw maps, and dance with her at night under the stars.

Something inside her broke and a single tear darkened a patch of his orange shirt.

"Thankyou."

xxxx


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Sweet Dreams

Media: fic

Characters: Straw Hats

Word count: 748

xxx

"Run! This way! I'll hold him back! Even the greatest fighter in the Grand Line cannot defeat Roronoa Zoro!" Zoro screamed at the top of his lungs.

Sanji flinched and rolled over.

Chopper screamed and plunged beneath the covers.

Franky turned down his noise receptors. Ahhh…

Usopp jumped about four feet directly into the air and clung to an ornamental display made of bronze that was nailed to the wall above his hammock.

Luffy flailed about so much that his arms and legs whipped out below him and then wrapped around him several times, neatly tying him to the hammock.

"Z…Zoro…" Usopp trembled from his perch, "It's only a dream, snap out of it." He sighed and climbed back down to his hammock.

Chopper poked his head out from under his doona, "A dream, are you sure?" he squeaked.

"Yes, Chopper, it's ok. You can come out, " Usopp soothed.

"Thank goodness, I thought I was dreaming… but I wasn't sure. I'm glad you're having the same dream as I am Usopp-kun," the little reindeer beamed.

"No, it's Zoro. He's the one having a dream, he has been.."

"Help me!" Luffy called out, thrashing about in his hammock and becoming more tangled, "Gomu Gomu no.."

"NO!" Usopp jumped on Luffy and tried to unravel him, "Don't be so hasty!"

"I WANNA FIGHT THE GREATEST FIGHTER IN THE GRAND LINE!" Luffy enthused, getting more and more tangled.

"Stop thrashing!"

"No! I wanna fight with Zoro!"

"He's just dreaming! He doesn't want to fight you!" Usopp narrowly avoided being knocked across the room and tried a different tactic.

"I can't untangle you unless you hold still!"

Luffy gradually stopped wriggling as he woke up properly and took in his surroundings, "Where am I? Where is Zoro?"

"In bed. I tried to tell you!" Usopp undid the knot holding Luffy's right arm to his left leg and the Captain sprung back into shape, the sharpshooter swelled with pride and began to recount his heroics, "I've just been holding Zoro down single handed and preventing him from destroying the ship, and you had to make it worse by joining in! I would hate to have to hurt you in order to protect the Sunny," Usopp finished nobly.

"*lies*" Sanji coughed.

"Awww… I was stuck," Luffy replied, flexing his joints to make sure everything was back to normal.

The door to the room opened slowly and an afro complete with outrageous hat crept into view.

"Is everything ok?" Brook asked, "I was on watch up on the deck and I heard some shouting that made my flesh crawl, not that I have an.."

"Yes, yes," Usopp cut him off, "Zoro is having a bad dream, I think he's stopped shouting though…"

"EVERYONE THIS WAY!" Zoro bellowed, jerking in his hammock and rocking violently.

"Why did I say that?" Usopp mumbled.

Sanji threw his covers up and sat up cursing like only a pirate can.

"Hello Sanji," Luffy grinned, "Zoro's fighting a great enemy but he's asleep!"

"Yes I know. Allow me," A wicked glint danced in the corner of Sanji's eye and he kicked savagely, sending Zoro hurtling out of bed. As the swordsman turned in the air, he opened his eyes in alarm and grabbed Sanji's ankle, pulling the cook down on top of him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Zoro growled.

"Let go of me!" Sanji demanded.

"What is all this ruckus about?!" Nami shouted, bursting into the room wearing only her negligee.

"Evasive manuevers!" Usopp shouted.

"EEEeeeeekkkk!" Chopper joined in.

Nami advanced on Zoro and Sanji, a look of delighted revenge in her eyes.

"We were jus.." Zoro and Sanji chorused.

Nami struck them both with a closed fist, hard, on the top of the head.

"Stop it!" she demanded. "Everyone back to bed!"

"But my-gorgeous-barely-covered-sexy-divine-Nami-swan, Zoro has been most annoy.." Sanji fluttered.

"I don't care!" The fiery red-head snapped, "BED!" then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Nami is scary…" Chopper muttered from behind the swordsman.

"I don't want to come out…" Usopp said from behind Chopper.

"Me either," Brook joined from the rear.

"Sea witch," Zoro grumbled, getting to his feet.

"You heard Nami-chan, shut up! This is all your fault anyway!" Sanji complained as he took his stripy pyjamas back to bed.

"Hey Zoro, want to fight?" Luffy asked.

"SHUT UP!" Screamed Nami from the other end of the ship.

"How does she..?" Zoro began.

"SHUT UP!" Chopper, Franky and Usopp chorused.

xxx


	9. Chapter 9

Title: red sky in the morning

Rating: G

Media: Fic

Character: Nami

Word count: 300

Prompt: Morning

Nami and the sea – the last tenant of her shattered faith.

Xxx

Seagulls calling stirred her subconscious. Dreaming, she watched them fly by, soaring into the salt-tanged air and infinity. As her mind filtered those last images, she turned in bed, raising her head from the warm pillow for just long enough to look out the porthole and consider the breaking day.

The rain had cleared and the morning sun pushing stripes of scarlet and whipped spoonfuls of pink across the cloud-free sky.

_Red sky in the morning, shepherds warning._

_Red sky at night, shepherds delight._

It would rain again by sundown.

Nami cast her watchful eyes across the glassy surface of the calm ocean. To the others it was a path, an obstacle, a hazard even – to her it was a living map, a riddle laced with hidden messages, clues, hints to the secrets of this amazing place. The waves were smooth on one side and slightly rippled on the other, showing where two currents met under the deceptive calm of the surface. A whole world existed just out of reach, a world where they were on the outside, living on the tiny rim of pink at the edges of a limitless blue-water sky.

If she opened her window, the breeze would caress her face – bringing whispers of flowers from islands they had left behind. She could see from the blown spume of the waves the direction of the wind, the strength, even where it would take her if she could take to her wings and fly… soaring on the currents and letting the weather be her lighthouse, her mentor, her guide. It told her when to sleep, when to celebrate and when to turn her face away from the storm.

Every morning it spilled its heart to her and every night it rocked her to sleep.

Her silent, faithful, nakama.

xxx


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Wow.  
>Rating: PG<br>Media: fic  
>Pairing: LuffyUsopp – or maybe just typical Luffy?  
>Word Count: 264<br>Prompt: first kiss

xxxx

Usopp sat on a chair in the kitchen, ocne again he was whittling away a piece of wood for a new sling shot. Once again he was on the same theme,

"…but I've never been kissed, Sanji! You can't imagine how that feels! I mean, I've been kissed but I've never been KISSED. It's different, right?" Usopp sighed and paused in his ramblings.

Sanji had been listening to him for what seemed like hours. To be fair to the sharpshooter, Usopp was a great guy but he had been going on and on and ON about this for ages now.

Seriously, _ages._

"I just don't know what to do…" Usopp sighed.

Luffy strode past the door and was drawn in by the tone of Usopp's voice. It was that magical skill to seek out the hurt and the downtrodden. Could be handy sometimes.

"What's up Sanji?" Luffy asked, pointing to Usopp behind his head in what had to be THE most obvious way possible.

"Usopp has never been kissed," Sanji summarised, trying to save himself a further long-winded explanation.

"Really?" Luffy inclined his head sideways just a little, "Is that all?"

Luffy stepped forward and settled onto Usopp's lap. He wrapped two rubbery legs around him and pinned the quaking sailor to his chair – and then he kissed him.

With passion and verve, firm and sweet.

A powerful kiss.

Luffy finally lifted his head and stood up.

"There you go," he said, nodding happily. He dusted his hands off and waltzed off down the corridor.

"Uuuuhhhh…." Usopp said.

But boy, did he look happy.

xxx


End file.
